Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens' Environment spokesperson
After significant pressure, the government has caved in and released the damning IMAS report on the state of Macquarie Harbour.
The report lays bare the government’s negligence and their contempt for the environment in their rush to bow to industry.
The IMAS report contains research from the 1980s and 90s that showed Macquarie Harbour then as one of the worst conceivable places in Tasmania for farming salmon.
Knowing this, why did the government ever approve the massive expansion of the industry from 9,000 to 16,000 tonnes between 2013 and 2015? By last year, the biomass cap had been increased by Minister Rockliff to 21,500 tonnes.
The report confirms that dissolved oxygen levels throughout the harbour are catastrophically low, and unable to support life in some areas. One lease site is virtually devoid of fauna out to at least half a kilometre from the cages.
The government has been ignoring its own irrefutable science, damaging the World Heritage Area and threatened species, as well the reputation and clean, green brand of an industry that employs thousands of regional Tasmanians.